Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has urged women across the state to remain committed to raising their children and strengthening their families, describing them as a major pillar of the home.
Otti made the call on Friday at the 2026 Abia Women August Delegate Conference held in Umuahia, the state capital.
The governor congratulated the women for making it to this year’s gathering and expressed gratitude to God for keeping them alive, observing that some people who attended the previous edition were no longer present.
He also praised his wife, Mrs Priscilla Otti, for her various programmes aimed at improving the welfare and economic prospects of women in the state.
According to him, women play a central role in shaping the family and must remain attentive to their responsibilities, particularly in raising children.
“Women are the bedrock of the family. In this new Abia, we take women very seriously.
“I challenge our women to keep their eyes on the ball, because the upbringing of children starts with the woman in the home.
“I also commend Her Excellency, my dear wife, for all she is doing for our women. 35 vulnerable women have benefited from the First Lady’s housing project, with plans underway to increase the number.
“Also, through the Safe to Care Initiative, the Thrive Business Challenge was organised, which saw 10 women emerge as beneficiaries while other participants went home with consolation prizes.”
Earlier, the governor’s wife, Priscilla Otti, encouraged women in Abia to move beyond simply meeting their daily needs and instead pursue sustainable growth, organised businesses and entrepreneurship.
She spoke on the theme of the 2026 August Meeting, “Abia Women: Empowered to Thrive,” saying the programmes introduced across the state’s 17 Local Government Areas were designed to provide practical support and tackle issues that leave women vulnerable.
She said the interventions covered economic empowerment, vocational training and assistance for petty traders, farmers, widows and other vulnerable women.
Mrs Otti said one of the interventions that particularly touched her was the provision of a decent home for the mother of a survivor of gender-based violence.
She explained that poverty, inadequate housing and limited economic opportunities could deepen vulnerability, stressing that meaningful empowerment must address such challenges.
A major feature of the conference was the “Thrive Business Challenge”, an initiative aimed at helping women adopt better approaches to running and growing their businesses.
Mrs Otti explained that the competition was created not simply to distribute prizes but to teach participants the importance of proper records, business structure, regulatory compliance and access to funding.
“Most businesses we admire today succeeded because they built systems. Because they had records, banks could assess them for financing,” she said.
She disclosed that women from different parts of Abia submitted entries through groups, civil society organisations and faith-based bodies, after which 10 finalists were selected following an evaluation process.
To ensure that all participants benefited from the programme, Mrs Otti announced that every woman who entered the competition would receive ₦50,000.
She added that the finalists would receive business-support grants and productive assets, while representatives of banks, NAFDAC, tax authorities and the Ministry of Industry and SMEs were available to educate participants on how to formalise and strengthen their businesses.
“Our aspiration is for women to move beyond grants and access single-digit interest loans because their businesses are properly structured,” she added.
The Commissioner for Women Affairs in Abia State, Mrs Maureen Aghukwa, also urged women to see themselves as key contributors to the development and progress of the state.
Meanwhile, the winner of the Thrive Business Challenge, Ms Nnaka Antonio-Samuel, described her victory as unexpected and said the recognition had increased her determination to expand her business.
“I can’t even explain my joy. I am so happy and very surprised. This win has given me more strength to keep trying. I didn’t see this coming,” she said.
Antonio-Samuel emerged as the overall winner, receiving a ₦2 million cash prize and a Toyota Sienna bus.
The first runner-up received ₦1 million, while the second runner-up went home with ₦500,000.
